More hospitals charge upfront fees for nonurgent care in emergency rooms

Led by the Nashville-based HCA, a growing number of hospitals have implemented a pay-first policy in an effort to divert patients with routine illnesses from the ER after they undergo a federally required screening. At least half of all hospitals nationwide now charge upfront ER fees. But emergency-room doctors and patient advocates blast the policy as potentially harmful to patients.

Read the full article from the Washington Post here.